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260
وَإِذ قالَ إِبراهيمُ رَبِّ أَرِني كَيفَ تُحيِي المَوتىٰ ۖ قالَ أَوَلَم تُؤمِن ۖ قالَ بَلىٰ وَلٰكِن لِيَطمَئِنَّ قَلبي ۖ قالَ فَخُذ أَربَعَةً مِنَ الطَّيرِ فَصُرهُنَّ إِلَيكَ ثُمَّ اجعَل عَلىٰ كُلِّ جَبَلٍ مِنهُنَّ جُزءًا ثُمَّ ادعُهُنَّ يَأتينَكَ سَعيًا ۚ وَاعلَم أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزيزٌ حَكيمٌ

Yusuf Ali

Behold! Abraham said: “My Lord! Show me how Thou givest life to the dead1.” He said: “Dost thou not then believe?” He said: “Yea! but to satisfy My own understanding2.” He said: “Take four birds; Tame them to turn to thee; put a portion3 of them on every hill and call to them: They will come to thee (Flying) with speed. Then know that God is Exalted in Power, Wise.”
  • Verse 258, we saw, illustrated God’s power over Life and Death, contrasted with man’s vain boasts or imaginings. Verse 259 illustrated how Time is immaterial to God’s workings; things; individuals and nations are subject to laws of life and death, which are under God’s complete control, however much we may be misled by appearances. (R).
  • Abraham had complete faith in God’s power, but he wanted, with God’s permission, to give an explanation of that faith to his own heart and mind. Where I have translated “satisfy my own understanding,” the literal translation would be “satisfy my own heart.”
  • A portion of them: Juz'an. The Commentators understand this to mean that the birds were to be cut up and pieces of them were to be put on the hills. The cutting up or killing is not mentioned, but they say that it is implied by an ellipsis, as the question is how God gives life to the dead. (R).